This SPUNKY sweetheart just turned five and her mommy decided to give her a cake decorating party. Great idea, huh? And guess what the party favors were.. Individual cakes each guest decorated and the CUTEST-APRONS-EVER! I pulled my design inspiration from the Birthday Girl’s apron, and created a photocard (picture courtesy of Portraits by Jenn) invitation, a banner, a door hanger, and place cards.

This party was TONS of fun to be a part of, and I LOVE how it all came together!

And check out the goodies: chocolate lollipops and then candy flowers and garden critters for the girls to top their cakes with!

Well. . . Actually she lives across the street and she is precious! BOTH my boys are pretty smitten with her; but I really can’t blame them. She truly is a doll, beautiful inside and out, and a wholesome role model for my guys to direct their affection toward. Especially in this day and age where little girls seem eager to grow up waaaay too quickly–but we won’t go down that bunny-trail!

Last week, their sweetheart turned 13 and we got together with another friend to throw her a little birthday party from her three secret admirers. The boys took her flowers, cupcakes, and a little bag of girly goodies from Bath and Bodyworks. I designed some toppers to coordinate with the gift bag and her impromptu party was good to go! Just goes to show, you don’t always need a ton of fuss to make something delightfully unique and memorable! Love moments like this one!

Last night, we took my oldest son to Meet the Teacher. Summer flew by, and we are feeling a bit nostalgic about how quickly our not-so-little boy is growing! This year, he not only moves up a grade-level, but on to a whole other wing on his campus! It’s a weird feeling to see less of my baby and more of the young-man he will become in that face that looks back at me.

Our guy experienced a little anxiety about his new classroom when he realized that he’d be without a few of his close buddies for the first time this year. Meanwhile, we know he’ll make new friendships in his class and he can still see his old pals throughout other parts of the day. It’s a tough lesson for our boy, but we are very excited to see what the year has in store for him! He’s slowly getting a little more comfortable with the idea of spreading his wings after some TLC from his family.. I think by Monday he’ll be truly excited to head back to school!

Fortunately, we are part of a great district, with an amazing staff and full of wonderful families. Still, even under the best circumstances many kids experience Back to School Blues for one reason or another. So I decided to add a few extra items to my freebie in hopes of blessing my special guy with a few Mom-ents on his first day back. Earlier this week, I created bright note paper to jot down some I Love You’s for packing in his lunchbox throughout the week. Today I also designed a few bookmarks for his school box as we finish rounding up those last-minute additions to the supply list! After that, my son and I had fun creating a mini-joke book for his backpack. Nothing gets things going well like a little laugh, right?!

Download my School is a Hoot collection free today! Prayers for a smooth start for our family and your’s as we begin another academic year!

For the Mini-Book, simply follow these directions:

1. Cut off excess paper, leaving the 8 pages of the book as one large rectangle.

2. Fold the Mini-Book vertically down the middle. (hot-dog style)

3. Open the book and fold horizontally down the middle. (hamburger style)

4. Cut one line between the title page and the page above it. Stop when you get to the line between the two outer rectangles. As you open your paper, the slit should only be between the four middle sections.

5. Fold on the extra page divisions and then open the paper back up; re-fold along the original vertical crease.

6. Take opposite ends of the book and squish them together creating a diamond shape in the center.

7. Continue pushing the ends together to form the book. Crease along the edges you’re ready for some cheesy back-to-school fun!

UPDATE!! For those that wish to avoid the Scribd subscription fee, you can now download my freebie from 4Shared. Thank you for the continued love and positive feedback on these designs! 🙂

Thought I’d share a happy topic to distract everyone from how SADLY neglected the blog has been! And the website is even more deprived!! MAYBE when my boys go back to school I can have a vacation from my vacation and will be able to upload all the FUN stuff I’ve created this summer!! I have had the best time helping people celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, engagement parties, baby showers, announcements, and (a new thing to me!) gender reveal parties! And somewhere in all those festivities, I’ve made a few more logos and a couple more t-shirt proofs! TONS and TONS of great designs I need to add to my online galleries! AND several party previews full of GREAT photos I hope to put on storyboards and post for your viewing pleasure! Which day of the week is Someday? That’ll probably be the soonest I can get everything here on the web! But first, here’s the latest and greatest for my littlest customers… Since most of my close friends are expecting additions in their families this fall (seriously, at least a baby a month through the new year!) I think these collections are JUST the beginning of the cuteness delighting my blog this season!

And, giving credit where it is due: The Sip n See invite was insipred by a design the hostess loved from Pen and Paperflowers. Jess is a SUPER talented, fellow designer! Go check her out!

One of my son’s best buddies celebrated his fourth birthday last month and I’m FINALLY getting the pictures off my camera!!

His mom wanted a Rock n Roll birthday so I created an invite and stickers in a color scheme she came up with, which I LOVE. She loved an invitation from the Celebration Shoppe, but she wanted to incorporate more black into the party. It’s so fun to collaborate with my clients and see our ideas come together to make a great collection! Here’s some photos of the adorable party!

My boy LOVES parties (just like his momma!!) and gets almost as excited about the cake and singing as the child we’re celebrating does! When Ty blew out the candles, my son cheered and rushed over to hug him! It was so much fun!

Speaking of birthdays, I’m working on a couple of C-U-T-E packages right now: Cool in the Pool and Princess Lulu!

Well, I finished a couple of HUGE projects for two REALLY great clients! Logos are so important to new or an established business, and I’m blessed every time I get to be a part of this developing process. The first proof sheet was created for a friend from college. She has a SUPER cute store full of all kinds of goodies for girls to stock up on while their significant other is pre-occupied with hunting. Her boutique is called The Hunter’s Widow and it was a ton of fun to thow together some designs that allowed for a whimsical feel:

Another friend is adding a new member to their CPA firm, and thought this was a perfect time to update their look a bit. We stayed with a color scheme their office already has in use but created a new, contemporary design with clean, crisp graphics and simple, modern fonts. I love this design because I gave the client two versions of each proof–one that is flat and easily translates in print, but another that uses glass overlays and reflections, giving the logos a modern edge. These files will look GREAT on websites that are professional in feel, with sharp and minimal designs:

I also recently completed a couple t-shirt designs.. One is for a client and another is for my KJSG Girls and I to wear at an event this summer! Check them out!

Right now I’m working on ANOTHER logo for Creekview. It’s for their adolescent department. Love having repeat customers! Such a wonderful compliment! 🙂

I recently teamed up with Viridian Design Studio in planning a party for Hadliegh and Isaac Lankford, the two children of Jennifer from Portraits By Jenn. Aside from wanting to spoil two of our favorite toddlers, we really wanted to showcase the many, many possibilities a client has with their digital files. Stickers can be used on favors, candy, as napkin rings, and so much more. Once the initial design is created for the invitation, developing a coordinating banner or sign, gift tags, thank you cards, or food and drink labels is a breeze! It’s very affordable for me to make as many add-ons as possible for you to have an event full of personal touches without going bankrupt. Here are the printable files I designed for the Lankford Party:
And I couldn’t be more pleased with how beautifully these projects printed out! We had the party pool-side at Comanche Trace on a perfect, sunny evening. Viridian Design, with their fun and creative event-planning team, used my Suess printables to put together an adorable, bright, and fun but also clean and polished party. This event is one both the parents and their children will never forget! Jennifer took some beautiful pictures of the scene, and I’m thrilled to share them with you now!

A new counseling firm contacted me about creating a logo. It was a joy to collaborate with these clients, and we’re already starting on another project! I love all parts of design, but there’s something special about partnering with a new business as we create that icon which becomes a part of their identity. It is so important when making a logo to balance the things that portray the owner’s personality or the company’s atmosphere with elements that make it a well-functioning piece of design.

Many times, people do not want to incorporate a graphic in their logo, because the word “graphic” automatically makes people think of clip art. But something as simple as a sequence of geometric shapes or a strategically placed border around your font gives a reader’s eye a place to rest in a sea of font; this engages the customer and draws him/her into noticing your sign or card or advertisement. Think of the Coke logo. If you see a generic can with a swirl on it, you automatically think “Coke” rather than “Soda.” You remember the design, and the company’s name is attached to that visual memory. The same can be done for your company or organization in a clean and polished, professional manner or with whimsy and flair, but both designs require thought and attention that I am eager to provide my customers.

The Logo Factory provides a great article on logo design and things to consider during development. It really is such a creative but at the same time very methodical process! Call me a nerd, but I LOVE that combination of work!

Typically, in logo design, I will make 7-10 proofs for a client to choose from. With this project I created several more images as I practiced tips from the above article. This project really was more “fun” than “work.”

On that note, here’s another little something fun for YOU! My very dear friend Becky is a Stella and Dot stylist. If you haven’t checked out their jewelry line, you are missing out! This past weekend Jennifer and I hosted a trunk show. It was a great time, and for the next two weeks, we’re continuing our little party online. I’m still trying to decide between these three gems:

Anyone is invited to join us! Simple log on to Becky’s personal website: http://www.stelladot.com/beckywiginton; enter the hostess name Merydwen/Jennifer and then shop away! Not only will you get some cute, affordable accessories, but you will also receive a FREE download! When you place your order, leave a comment or email me and I will send you the following bi-fold with the option of your choice.

Pick either the Thank You card or the monogrammed version to download and print for your personal use. When you visit the Stella and Dot website, you might see where my inspiration came from! 😉 ALSO, if you order $200 or more, you will receive a $75 gift certificate from Portraits by Jenn… Isn’t it GREAT to be rewarded for shopping!! If only that happened more often!

Wanted to give a HUGE thank you to Living Locurto and Tip Junkie for featuring my Super Dad download! If you haven’t visited their sites yet, hurry on over! It’s okay. I won’t be upset—-you can go ahead and click on the links. It’s fine; just promise to check back in when you’re done, alright?? 🙂 Really though, Amy and Laurie are both VERY talented women full of helpful hints and fun, free downloads. It’s sooooo easy to become more than a little addicted both blogs.

Can’t wait to see how your Father’s Day projects turned out!! Over 800 views & downloads Saturday and Sunday and then another 200 Monday! What fun! If you have any photographs of your Super Dad project to share, please email them to merydwen@mydelightfuldesigns.com. I’d love to see how you used my artwork!

Our Super Dad loved his Hero Pack we made for him by modifying some of Alpha Mom’s ideas to match my files. Then my dear son used his birthday gift card (with a little help from Mommy) to buy his Dad a bike. It was a wonderful moment for us all! Hope your holiday was just as great!

I will be back tomorrow to post about a logo I recently designed AND to tell you about an offer for a free Thank You Card file and a gift certificate to Portraits by Jenn. Coming soon are real party photos of some of my latest birthday collections! Thanks again to Amy and Laurie for sending so many wonderful visitors my way!! Hope you keep stopping by to see some Delightful Designs!!

I am blessed to be married to a true SUPER DAD. He’s very involved in the lives of our two sons and constantly puts the needs of everyone else before himself. I can’t begin to describe how great he really is; if our boys develop half their father’s faithfulness, compassion, and integrity, they’ll be fine men someday. The kids love super heroes, but none can compare to their wonferful dad. So I designed a shirt for our everyday hero and am sharing the file (and a few other treats!) for your personal use!

Celebrate your Super Dad this Father’s Day with some FREE printables from Delightful Designs!! Click HERE and follow the link to download the following projects so you can treat your guy like the hero we know he is!

These are for personal use. Please do not redistribute or sell my images.

Directions for the Banner: Print the pages on cardstock and cut each circle out. Punch holes about 1/2 inch from the top edges on the left and right sides of your cut-outs. String the letters together to create your banner. Hang them in one long banner or create two smaller banners to display one above the other. (Hint: Sometimes the shorter version is better for pictures!)

There’s also a Super Dad logo you can print onto iron-on paper and create a custom T-shirt. I provided both a regular and flipped version of the image so you can be sure to meet your product’s requirements for best transfer.

The last file is a small bi-fold card. Print, cut out, and fold horizontally. The inside is blank so you or your children can create a personalized message to tell Dad what a SUPER guy he is!!

Hope you enjoy! Feel free to share any comments or images of how you used this freebie!